? for those who use coupons...

[CherylT]

Does anybody have a great coupon organizer or system? I use a file system that I made myself with a smallish plastic accordian file because all the organizers at the stores seem to have so few sections - I like to have mine subdivided more. However, my little system is bulky. I guess my problem is that I like to cart all my coupons with me when I shop instead of picking out the ones I need. It seems when I pick out the ones I need I always leave behind something. Any ideas? TIA

Cheryl
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[daisymommy]

I have a small (siize of a checkbook--only thicker) plastic accordian file with 13 sections in it. it was made for coupons and filing checks. I got it at Target. It has little pastic index tabs for each section that you can label. It was under $5.

[schums]

I have a GREAT system that works really well for me. I usually save a lot of $$$ each week because I can see exactly what coupons I have in a heartbeat. It takes a little while to set up, but then is really quick each week to keep up to date. The key is to do it each week with that week's coupons.

Here goes:

1. Get a three ring binder that zips closed, like the ones on sale now for back to school. Pick up some baseball card holder pages (usually sold in packs of 25 or so -- look in the sports section of Wal-Mart/Target/Meijers)and some tabbed dividers. For most coupons, the baseball card holder slots are big enough to fit a coupon in.

2. This step is the hardest. Decide how you want to organize your binder. Since I shop in one store primarily for food, I organize mine based on the aisles in the store. Each aisle has its own tab and section, and I keep a short list on the divider of what is on each aisle (easier to sort coupons at home). I have a seperate section for all baby stuff, even food, so I can easily get to all baby coupons if I'm shopping at BRU, for example. Some folks I know organize their binder by type of food, or alphabetically by brand. It's totally what your comfortable with, and is always subject to change.

3. Put your coupons in the individual baseball card slots. I put each coupon in its own slot -- multiple coupons for the same item go in the same slot. Because the slots are clear, I can see exactly which items I have coupons for, either before I go shopping, or while I am in the store perusing the aisles.

4. Go shopping. With the way my binder is organized, I simply flip to the next section when I turn to go down the next aisle. It works well for me.

Hope this makes sense. Like I said, it takes a couple of hours to get set up, but once you get the initial work done, I can get all my coupons in the binder in about 10 minutes each week.

Hope this helps.

Sarah

[mom2kandj]

I, too, use the small plastic accordian file and I've added additional dividers for food types. My dividers and coupons are also sorted by location in the store. We asked for a store map(Ralphs in SoCal) and then sorted the file by aisle. It makes for much quicker shopping with the two kids! Also, in SoCal there is a website www.grocerygame.com that helps you maximize your coupon and grocery club savings. I pay $10 for an eight week subscription and the site lets me know what items are on sale at the store and when to use the coupon for max savings and build a stockpile(I only keep one extra of most items in my cupboard). I look over their list, check the items that I want, and then print that list. I add my own needed items (usually just meat and produce due to my stockpile) and go shopping. Often I save 40-60% on my order. I'm not sure which states they are in, but you can put in your zip code...HTH!

Rose
mom 2 Katie (31 months)
& Jack (15 months)

[CherylT]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I especially love your binder idea Sarah. It actually sounds a bit like the Price Planner system I've seen online, which since I don't need a planner is a total waste for me. If I can ever get out of the house (potty training in progress :)), I'm going to try to track down the materials to make one of my own!! Thanks


Cheryl
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[kransden]

I used to use the accordian system, but my big problem was I didn't have the coupons when I needed them. Now I keep them in my purse. I finally took 2 small envelopes and marked one baby and the other food and divided each envelope with colored paper. So the diaper coupons are in 1 section, baby food in another, and the rest in the 3rd area. While it is not fancy, I do ALWAYS have my coupons with me, so I don't lose out. If anybody knows of anything as thin, I am very interested in hearing about it.

Karin
Katie 10/24/02

[CherylT]

Just want to post an update of what I ended up doing in case anyone else is looking for ideas. I finally decided that getting rid of bulk just wasn't an option for me - what I needed was ease of use and easy to carry. I looked for the collector card pages, but couldn't find them so did some brainstorming. I bought a 64 CD Compact Disc carrying case, some labels and some stick-on divider tabs. I labeled each pocket, attached the divider tabs and labeled each section (basically to reflect the order of the store that I most frequent). It works GREAT and isn't any bigger than the file that I had been using. It has a zippered pocket on the outside for my list and pens, etc., a carrying handle, a couple of extra pockets on the inside cover. Plus, I figured if I ever find something even better - I can always repurpose it back to a CD case. The first day of use I saved $18 in coupons which more than paid for the supplies. I've used it several times since and it is much easier for me to use since I was able to divide it into 64 sections. Thanks again for the ideas everyone - it helped me 'think outside of the coupon file' :)!

Cheryl
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02